Forget online shopping.

For bibliophiles daunted by the high price of books, there is now online swapping.

Bookins.com is among the newest online book-trading sites to use the height of modern technology, the Internet, to engage in the most primitive form of economic exchange, the barter. The new service enables members to trade books for a fraction of what they normally cost when buying at retail, whether new or used.

“I created this service for people like me who love to read and have a lot of books sitting around,” said 36-year-old Bookins founder Mitch Silverman, who started the service when piles of books overcrowded his small New York City apartment. “Bookins is much easier then eBay and a better deal than selling to used-book dealers who give 20 cents on the dollar. It’s more convenient than a library, and it gives people who like to own books, instead of borrow them, more options.”

Membership is free, and after creating a trade list – books a member owns and is willing to send – and a wish list – titles a member would like to receive – the swapping starts.

At that point, the Bookins system takes over, providing members with information via e-mail on where to ship a trade-listed book, or arranging for a wish-listed book to be delivered to the member’s door.

“The whole system is designed around convenience,” Silverman said. “The system does everything for you. It provides postage, tracks shipments and keeps track of who you’re trading with and, fortunately, it works. People rarely complain or say, ‘Where is my book?’ I get love notes from members who say it is fun and easy.”

It’s also inexpensive. For the shipper, postage is not only free, but can be downloaded and printed from the Bookins website. The recipient of the book is charged a flat fee of US$3.99, regardless of the book’s weight. Bookins makes US$1 profit from every swap.

“It’s fantastic,” said Redondo Beach, California, resident Maria Mercado, a Bookins member since November. “I’ve received about 30 books so far, and considering the average book costs about US$14 (retail), I’ve saved a lot.”

Using a number of factors, such as a book’s original retail price, best seller status and popularity on almost 60 book sites, the system automatically assigns a point value to every title. Every time a member ships a book, that book’s point total is added to the member’s Bookins account.

For instance, Mitch Albom’s best seller, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, is worth 11 points. Shipping that book would earn the member 11 points, with which he or she could get Ian McEwan’s Atonement, which is valued at only eight points. The three remaining points could be applied towards another book or banked for future use.

Bookins isn’t the only book-swapping service of its kind. There are similar book-trading sites online, many of which charge a couple of dollars less than Bookins.

A confident Silverman welcomed competitive comparisons. “At first glance, it would seem that we may belong in the same group with (other book-swap sites),” he said. “When you get into the details of how the systems actually work, however, you can see we provide a level of convenience that is not seen elsewhere.”

Those details, Silverman said, include downloadable postage, guaranteed US postal service shipping, delivery confirmation for every package, and an automated notification and credit system so Bookins members don’t have to deal with or depend on other members.

And true to the spirit of bartering, Bookins’ points system makes sure you get equal value for what you give. “Bookins makes sure members always get fair trades,” Silverman said. “If you put in a new best seller, you can get another best seller back.”

It is certainly cheaper than retail, but is barter better? JoBeth Clark, a freelance journalist who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, has been a Bookins member for six weeks.

“(My wish list has) some best sellers and some titles I don’t see at Borders or at the library,” Clark said. “I have a great library up the street, but they don’t have them all. When I look through the (Bookins) list, I see some really interesting new titles and some good ones that are out of print.”

An avid reader, Clark said she uses Bookins to avoid overbuying.

“I have way too many books,” she said. “It’s always hard for me to go to the bookstore, because I come out with an armload. (Bookins) keeps books coming at a somewhat constant pace and is a lot more cost-effective. And I don’t feel as bad about my TBR (to-be-read) pile, because I don’t feel like I’ve made as much of a commitment.”

Yet, some argue there is still room for Bookins to improve. After retiring from the airline industry several years ago, Torrance, California, resident Paul Dickens lost contact with his book-swap group at work. He considered joining Bookins, but is holding off for now.

“My primary reading habit is mysteries,” Dickens said. “I searched (Bookins) by author and found about half of the authors I liked. Tony Hillerman and Jonathan Kellerman and some of the better known mystery writers are there, but Alice Brennan and Gene Riehl and some others that I like weren’t. I don’t think (Bookins) is something I’m going to jump into at this point, but maybe later as it grows.”

Officially open for business since August, Bookins has about 1,500 members and 50 book genre categories. The fiction category contains the most books with 3,760, while current affairs contains the least, with only one book.

The website also offers several search options. Would-be traders can search by authors, new releases, best sellers and point totals, all of which help members create new lists, add to existing lists or just browse.

“So many great books aren’t at the front of Borders, and they have such a short shelf life,” Clark said.

“The same is true at the library. But Bookins is a whole new way of bringing books into your life. It’s kind of like a little Christmas wish list you can add to all year long.”